Jennifer Denise Hale

Jennifer Denise Hale, 51, of Chapel Hill, Tennessee, passed away unexpectedly on June 21, 2024. Her family is heartbroken but determined to celebrate the wonderful life she lived.

Jennifer was born on February 9, 1973 in Aurora, Colorado to George Weathers and Lucy Heide. Jennifer spent the first part of her life as an Air Force 'brat', moving around the globe with her family. She graduated from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, Texas and went on to eventually receive her Master of Science in Nursing, Health Care Systems Management from Loyola University. Jennifer spent her life and her career helping and caring for others. She started her career as a nurse in 1992 and in 2002 she began working in hospice and palliative care. She spent the last 22 years of her career as a leader in and tireless advocate for hospice care. Jennifer was a Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse, a Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality, a Tennessee Registered Professional Nurse with Compact status, and sat on the Boards and several Committees for National and State level Hospice organizations. Jennifer spent 5 years as the CEO of the Georgia Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (GHPCO), where she provided leadership, public policy and regulatory advocacy, and touched numerous lives with her deep knowledge, incredible compassion, and heart for helping others. She spoke at too many conferences to mention throughout her career, always a sought-after speaker on many topics. At the time of her passing, Jennifer was the Vice President, Clinical Quality and Standards, for Compassus, a national hospice, palliative care, and home health provider. Her legacy in the world of hospice care will continue to have a positive, lasting effect. Jennifer set the standard of excellence for all.

Jennifer became a mother for the first time at age 17. This experience shaped who she was; resilient, strong, brave, loving, and determined. She faced every challenge and overcame it. She was a life-long learner and teacher. But most of all, Jennifer was a mother, a wife, a grandmother, a sister, an aunt, a niece, and a daughter. She was the nucleus of her family, the center of it all. She was married to her soul mate and absolute love of her life, Chester Hale, for 23 years. She loved and adored her

daughters, Caitlin, Beth, Melissa, Toni and Jessika, and her son, TJ, who preceded her in death. She loved and adored all of her grandchildren, Raurie, Taya, Cherish, Ember, Bentleigh, TJ, Corrie, Emmie, Luke, Logan and Lincoln. She loved Christmas like a child would, and never met a book she did not want to read or a dog she did not need to pet and love on.

Jennifer was the oldest of 3 siblings; together with her sister, Haley, and her brother, Justin, they formed the "Weathers kids". They had their own language and their own inside jokes that only they shared. They communicated in movie quotes and memories from their childhoods and time together. They traveled together, they laughed together, and they will forever love one another fiercely.

Jennifer is survived by so many that adored her, loved her, and admired her. Her husband, her children, her sons-in-law, her grandchildren, her siblings, her parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, niece and nephews. She was a bright light for everyone, an example to be followed, and a life well lived. Her loss is immeasurable.

Services will be held at the Heritage Funeral Home in Columbia, TN on Thursday, June 27, 2024. Visitation will be from 3:00pm - 5:00pm with a service to follow beginning at 5:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Compassus Living Foundation www.compassuslivingfoundation.org/give/ and Frontline Healing Foundation www.frontlinehealingfoundation.org